Recent Report: ‘Patrick Carrigan’ Becomes Brisbane Broncos New Captain After ‘Adam Reynolds’ Was Stripped Off The Captaincy Due To Critical Surgery
Adam Reynolds set to lose Brisbane Broncos captaincy after pre-season surgery comes to light
Michael Maguire appears odds-on to make a captaincy change for the 2025 NRL season.
OPINION
Michael Maguire has no choice but to strip Adam Reynolds of the Brisbane Broncos captaincy and hand it to Patrick Carrigan. And the news of Reynolds’ pre-season neck surgery shows exactly why.
It emerged on Friday that Reynolds had to go under the knife after copping a ‘knock’ at pre-season training before Christmas. The procedure is being reported as ‘minor’ and Reynolds is in no doubt for the opening game of the 2025 season, although he won’t be back at training for a month.
But the situation has highlighted the glaring need for Maguire to make a captaincy change at the Broncos, especially if Reynolds is going to miss such an important month of training before the season starts. Maguire has already admitted Reynolds won’t be able to play every game in 2025 due to his ageing body, and the fact he needed surgery after a minor knock at training spells bad news for the veteran halfback.
Carrigan is a warrior who won’t miss many games in 2025 (outside of the State of Origin period), and Maguire will want his captain available for the entire pre-season. It all spells bad news for Reynolds, who is thought to be leaning towards retiring at the end of the season.
Michael Maguire refuses to guarantee Adam Reynolds captaincy
Maguire has been making widespread changes at the Broncos since taking over from the sacked Kevin Walters, including fixing the culture at the club and work ethic of players. A change of captain would mark a completely fresh start after standards dropped dramatically under Walters in 2024.
Speaking in December, Maguire refused to guarantee Reynolds’ position as captain. And tellingly, he’s continually referred to the 34-year-old as the club’s “leader” rather than captain or skipper.
“If we get his body right, he can have a big year for us,” the coach told the Courier Mail. “I know he can withstand the weekly grind. I see a real steel about him at the moment. “As a captain, he has had to go through a bit and he’s copped some stick, but he will be out there showing exactly who he is when he’s playing.
“We will discuss (the captaincy). Reyno is a leader. I’ve had a lot of great experiences with Reyno but we want some more. How that leadership and captaincy of the team looks, we will discuss that throughout January. There are some things I will be doing with the team but he is a very good leader.”
Michael Maguire won’t be afraid to change Broncos captaincy
Maguire has shown he has no time for sentiment and isn’t afraid to make tough calls. He famously dumped NSW captain and fullback James Tedesco from the NSW State of Origin team in 2024 and replaced him with Dylan Edwards – which proved to be a masterstroke.
Reynolds has previously stated his desire to continue in the captaincy, while Carrigan has also backed his veteran teammate. But Broncos legend Gorden Tallis wants a change and believes Carrigan is the man for the job.
A poll of over 48,000 Yahoo Sport Australia readers has Reynolds as the preferred option as Broncos captain, garnering 43 per cent of the vote. At time of publishing, Carrigan had 39 per cent, while Payne Haas had seven per cent and Reece Walsh three per cent. Eight per cent of fans want ‘someone else’ entirely.
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